Bowling centers have evolved from systems which required the manual setting of ten pins on the lane and manual scoring during game play to systems which use automatic pinsetting devices, such as described in Huck, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,949,300. The pinsetting device described in the Huck et al. patent while being an automatic pinsetter was primarily mechanically controlled.
The Huck et at. pin setter included a pinsetting deck structure movable toward and away from a pin supporting surface on a bowling lane for controlling setting of bowling pins on the lane's supporting surface. A drive system was operatively coupled to the deck structure and used momentum of a bowling ball striking a pit cushion to directly engage a gearbox clutch. The drive system controlled an automatic pinsetter cycle in response to engagement of the gearbox clutch, the pinsetter cycle controlling movement of the deck and a rake to selectively remove or set pins on the lane. The clutch could also be engaged by depressing a reset button to energize a cycle solenoid.
The above pinsetter in a modified form included a rake trigger switch to sense if the rake was in a raised position. The pit cushion positioned at a rear end of the lane was linked to the rake to lower the rake from the raised position when a thrown ball struck the pit cushion. The drive system controlled an automatic pin setter cycle in response to energization of the solenoid, the pin setter cycle controlling movement of the deck and the rake to selectively remove or set pins on the lane.
Such a mechanical pinsetter required forward momentum of the bowling ball to mechanically trigger the system. Normally, this is not a concern. More recently, to increase interest in the game of bowling in young children games such as bumper bowling have been initiated. Also, there has been an increase in older aged bowlers. Consequently, the balls may be thrown at such a low velocity or lighter weight balls may be used so that the mechanical triggering might not occur. Further, worn or misadjusted mechanical parts may not effectively trigger the pinsetter. Any of these conditions would require the bowler to press the reset button.
Alternative pinsetters and pin setter control systems utilize electronic triggers which either signal the reset button, signal a rake drop solenoid which trips the rake up limit switch, directly signal the cycle solenoid or signal an existing time delay module. Such a time delay module is used to provide a time delay when a first ball is thrown to allow wobbling pins to fall. However, such systems are often add on to an original pin setter which alter the original systems ABC approved cycled time delays or scoring systems.
With any automatic pin setter safety must also be a concern. For example, it is desirable to prevent a pin setter cycle operation if an obstruction exists. This might happen, for example, during servicing of the pinsetter or if a child or parent follows a slow ball toward the pinsetter and possibly triggers the pinsetter. While adequate safety can be provided by turning the main circuit breaker off, additional levels of protection are desirable in the event that the circuit breaker remains on.
The present invention is intended to solve one or more of the problems discussed above in a novel and simple manner.